The present invention relates generally to a method of making a food product from a bird and, more particularly, to a method of making a food product from the back of a bird and a food product made in accordance with the method.
Birds, such as poultry and fowl, are conventionally eviscerated, dressed and sold either as a whole bird or as severed parts, i.e., breasts, wings, etc. One of the parts which is often separated and sold is the back which may include a portion of the neck and tail. Typically, backs are sold with the skin in place and with the meat surrounding an elongated backbone extending generally from the tail to the neck.
In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for innovative meat products, particularly products which require less time for preparation and which include little or no waste. There has also been an increasing demand for meat products which are boneless or substantially boneless, making such products easier to consume. Hence, products such as boneless chicken breasts, chicken tenders, etc. have enjoyed great commercial success. Other innovative products such as hot wings, buffalo wings, etc. have also obtained enhanced popularity for the respective parts from which they are prepared.
While many uses can be found for most of the parts of a bird such as the breast, thigh, drumstick, wing, etc., there are little or no food products which can be made from the back of a bird. Traditionally, when a bird is cut up for parts, the back is either sold very cheaply for making soup or is ground up for feed, sold for bait or the like. Bird backs, have not been particularly amenable to enhanced commercial processing and/or preparation methods for a variety of reasons primarily related to the type of meat (dark versus light), the size and centralized location of the bone, etc. The present invention comprises a method of making a unique food product from back meat. The dark meat food product is boneless, relatively small in size and therefore easily consumable as “finger food”.